Experience "The Winter of Nano" at The New Children's Museum

Thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network, the science of the small is about to get even cooler at The Children’s Museum. The NISE Network is a national community of researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement, and understanding of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology.

As a complement to the current exhibit, It’s a Nano World, the museum will host The Winter of Nano, five interactive days during school vacations.

Activities visitors will experience during the Winter of Nano include:

• Creating ultra-thin layers of metal and graphite
• Finding out why special tools are needed for nanoscale science
• Taking a closer look at your own DNA
• Learning which of the museum’s animal residents has an unusual way to use nano-sized adaptations
• Checking out the super weird properties of sand
• Getting messy with nano chemistry

Attendees will have a chance to meet professional scientists, who will share the ways that their work deals with the super-small. The first special guest is Seth Garren, a PhD candidate who conducts research at the UConn Health Center where he studies the RNA of viruses (specifically cancer-causing viruses). He will be at the museum on Tuesday, December 30 from 10am to 3pm.

The Winter of Nano events are free with museum admission and will take place on the following dates:
Monday December 29
Tuesday December 30
Monday January 19 (Martin Luther King Day)
Monday February 16 (Presidents Day)
Tuesday February 17

The New Children’s Museum is home to over 100 live animals, including the now famous Fennec foxes, hands-on science exhibits, out-of-this-world digital planetarium shows, and programs for younger children and families. The Children’s Museum and Roaring Brook Nature Center are the region’s premiere destinations for science and nature exploration.

The museum is located at 950 Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford and at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton. More information is available at www.TheChildrensMuseumCT.org.